The Engagement

His version…

The story of our engagement really began several months before I asked Em to marry me. Having secretly picked out the engagement ring at Thanksgiving, I actually received the ring in early January. From that day until April 24th, I guarded that ring like a mother bear guards her cubs, and by that I mean that I rarely let the thing out of my sight. Often times it was within inches of Emily’s grasp, locked in the glove box or tucked behind a notebook.

Naturally, I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible, but I wanted to wait for the warmth of spring to help set the mood. I had no idea how I wanted to propose, but I knew I wanted to wait for the flowers to bloom.

When I returned from a business trip to San Jose, I noticed that spring had sprung in Indianapolis, and the time to propose had come. It was time to come up with a plan. I decided that a romantic dinner for two seemed to best fit the nature of our relationship. As the week unfolded, I spun a plan that required a little luck and a lot of perfect execution. I began by convincing Diana, Emily’s roommate, that she should spend time away from the house on Thursday evening. I then scheduled a facial at a spa in Broad Ripple for Em, using my absence the week prior as a convenient excuse. On Wednesday evening, I cooked up a meal that would involve minimal preparation the next day – a spaghetti pie, a delicious chocolate éclair desert, and a summer strawberry salad. I purchased a pair of special dinner plates, napkins, napkin rings, wine glasses, candlesticks, some tiki torches and a tablecloth. All that was left to do was execute – and get the roses.

Check out this meal

Within minutes after Em left for her facial on Thursday, I rolled up to the house and worked furiously to clear the front porch and set up a dinner table under the porch roof. I prepared the salad and put the spaghetti pie in the oven. Finally, I lit the candles, arranged the roses, and put on some background tunes. When I knew Em was on her way back, I lit the torches and opened a bottle of wine I bought in Cali the week before.

Em hanging out at the sweet dinner setup

The look on Em’s face as she walked up to the house was priceless, and she must have seen through my plan at that very moment. The neighbor kids were shooting questions at us as their mother rushed them into the house. As we ate dinner and dusk fell upon us, a light thunderstorm rolled in. To me, the setting could not have been more perfect. I presented the ring to Em after dinner from across the table. After hearing her reply, I went over to her and placed the ring on her finger while on one knee.

That's one happy Emily